Zero proof is a menu standard with all of the flavor and none of the booze!
Zero-proof drinks are becoming commonplace on restaurant and bar menus, with offerings included alongside wine and cocktail options. In the nonalcoholic concoctions bartenders make today, they combine, shake and present ingredients in the same fundamental and sophisticated way as their full-proof counterparts.
“We realized a couple years ago that there was an underserved market for higher-quality, well-crafted non-alcoholic drinks that went beyond just fruit juices mixed together,” says GM and sommelier for The Select Michael Kunz. “We approach these drinks the same way we’d approach traditional craft cocktails: Everything starts from an idea about a flavor profile or a classic riff. Then it’s just figuring out the engineering to get there.”
Along with clever combinations of syrups, herbs, juices and shrubs, Kunz and team often use nonalcoholic distillates for cocktails that mimic the process of traditional classics. The Lavender 75 is an aromatic and herbaceous take on a French 75 using Lyre’s Dry London non-alcoholic gin and lemony bubbles. A chai espresso martini is a spiced up version with housemade cold brew, chai concentrate and Lyre’s Sugar Cane spirit, a nonalcoholic white rum. The team also added nonalcoholic wines to the menu, opting for Proxies, a line with flavor profiles similar to those of their boozy counterparts.
In addition to a list of signature drinks and classics, the Westside’s Lucky Star team pays close attention to creating zero-proof options. “I am trying to make a point to incorporate other elements—floral, bitter, earthy—with whatever techniques best bring out the flavors so that drinks are a little more complex,” says Beverage Director Kirk Gibson who runs the program with Nik Soukavona.
Tomato and Tonic, made with clarified tomato juice and Fever Tree tonic water, is an instant classic. The Bee’s Ginger sips very much like a Bee’s Knees, only with alcohol-free “gin.” A recent visit included a taste of a nonalcoholic Manhattan that was the mirror image of its full-proof sibling. Gibson says they are still “getting their legs under them,” dreaming up a sophisticated zero-proof version. “Well, that and trying to incorporate local and foraged [ingredients] when we can,” he says.
During the past year or two, there has been a significant increase in guests searching for nonalcoholic cocktails when dining at Chamblee’s The Alden, says chef Jared Hucks. “We wanted to create delicious beverages that have all the flavors of a great cocktail, just without the alcohol,” he says. “As we really highlight locally sourced produce on our menu, the same holds true for our zero-proof cocktails.”
The Gooseberry Fields cocktail combines gooseberries and strawberries with fresh ginger, making it a complementary and refreshing zero-proof sipper that pairs well with food. The pom pom passion is another sparkling refresher that combines the essences and aromatics of pomegranate, lime and mint.
The Alden also offers Athletic Brewing Company’s “Lite” NA Beer as well as Climbing Kites THC-Infused Prickly Pear Sparkling Water. The latter is “ideal for guests who don’t want to drink alcohol, but want to relax with a clean-tasting, refreshing beverage,” Hucks says. ”The feedback from our guests on these beverages has been great. They love the flavor, as well as the fact that it’s low-calorie and low in sugar.”
LUCKY STAR
678.994.6016
luckystaratl.com
@luckystaratl
THE ALDEN
678.395.6982
thealdenrestaurant.com
@the_alden_atl
THE SELECT
770.637.2240
theselectatl.com
@theselectatl
